


sweet as the blood orange

by Meatball42



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Conversations with People Your Boyfriend IS GOING TO Kill, Following Your Boyfriend's Trail of Bodies, M/M, My Moral Compass Is "What Do I Need To Do To Protect You?", Recovering from Trauma by Murdering the Appropriate People, Roaring Roadtrip of Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 07:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20944433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: “You’re a popular guy, Captain America."





	sweet as the blood orange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seinmit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seinmit/gifts).

Steve hasn’t held his breath in the field since 1942, but he doesn’t blame the FBI agents and technicians who have masks on. 

“His name was Rogan Blye,” the lead investigator tells Steve. “Fifteen years at Empire State as a biophysics researcher, then he got picked up by AIM. We’d picked up some chatter online, but everyone’s been spread pretty thin, since…”

Steve nods grimly. His ribs are still sore from the fight with the Winter Soldier on the Helicarrier.

“And it looks like someone in the private sector got there first.” The agent flips his notebook closed. He’s not smirking, exactly, but the way he looks at the blood and viscera splattered across the office and the remains of a man in the corner is… unsettling.

Steve clenches his jaw, but it’s not like he hasn’t seen this attitude before.

“Why was I called in?”

“Seems like you were Dr. Blye’s new project. He, or his, uh,” the agent checks his notes, “cluster at AIM, put out a price on the dark web for a sample of your ‘hair, nails, blood, or other bodily fluids.’”

This time, he does smirk. “You’re a popular guy, Captain America. Got any idea who’d want to take out someone looking into your genome?”

Steve raises his chin.

An hour later, on his way out of the nondescript building where Dr. Blye had done his work, Steve looks up at the surrounding buildings. In this part of town, the average is twenty or so stories. The building AIM had chosen has sixteen. There are four different rooftops Bucky could have used for surveillance of his target on this street. In the near distance, taller buildings offer further options.

“Thanks,” he whispers, and resists the urge to salute a ghost.

It’s… complicated.

~ ~

Steve leaves the target’s office. Through the viewfinder, the man who might have been Bucky Barnes watches the FBI investigator who’d spoken to Steve.

The agent seems pretty good at his job. It takes him only a few minutes to find the tiny chip Bucky had left wedged underneath one of Dr. Blye’s shelves. Instead of getting out an evidence bag, the agent slips the chip into his pocket. He glances around casually, but none of his colleagues were watching.

But Bucky was.

He removes a small notebook from the inner pocket of his jacket. On it is a long list of names. Three of them are crossed out.

Bucky writes the FBI agent’s name at the bottom of the list.

A lot of things are confusing to him right now, but the list is simple. And the impetus behind the list? Destroying anything that threatens Stevs Rogers?

That isn’t complicated either.


End file.
